Kayla Sarazin had a superb season for Falmouth’s girls’ hockey team, which got to the South Region semifinals.

Greely’s Matthew Todd won the 800 at last month’s Class B boys’ indoor track state meet.

Maddie Marston and her Yarmouth girls’ Nordic ski teammates enjoyed a Class B state title last month.

(Ed. Note: The basketball season was recapped last week)

The winter sports season had its share of memorable performances by local athletes.

Three Forecaster Country ski teams took home state crowns and an individual finished first as well.

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There were strong performances in swimming and track and a local champion in the first-ever girls’ wrestling state championship match.

On the ice, every local girls’ squad made it to the playoffs, while on the boys’ side, Greely emerged as the best team in Class B and perhaps the whole state when all was said and done.

Here’s one last look at the winter sports season that was:

Winter team state champions

Falmouth Yachtsmen, boys’ Alpine skiing, Class A
Falmouth Yachtsmen, boys’ Nordic skiing, Class A
Greely Rangers, boys’ basketball, Class A
Greely Rangers, girls’ basketball, Class A
Greely Rangers, boys’ hockey, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers, girls’ Nordic skiing, Class B

Winter individual state champions

Skiing
Lily Horne, Freeport, Class B girls’ Nordic classical

Swimming
Lily Smith, Falmouth, Class A, diving
Julia Bisson, Greely, Class B, diving

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Track
John Auer, Falmouth, Class A, boys’ mile
Marin Provencher, Greely, Class B, girls’ mile
Carolyn Todd, Greely, Class B girls’ two-mile
Matthew Todd, Greely, Class B, boys’ 800
Luke Marsanskis, Greely, Class B, boys’ two-mile

Wrestling
Anunthaya MacDonnell, Falmouth, girls’ wrestling, 120 pounds

Michael’s Top Five Stories

5) Strong girls’ hockey seasons

Every local girls’ hockey team made it to the playoffs this winter. In the North Region, the Yarmouth-Freeport co-op team enjoyed a strong 12-win campaign before being ousted by Lewiston in the semifinals. Defending state champion Greely/Gray-New Gloucester got back to the playoffs, but lost to St. Dom’s in the quarterfinals. In the South, Falmouth knocked off Portland/Deering in the quarterfinals, but couldn’t solve Scarborough in the semifinals.

4) Local swimmers and divers impress

The pool saw Greely’s girls’ team finish second-best in Class B. The Rangers also produced the best diver in Class B in Julia Bisson. Falmouth’s Lily Smith won the Class A diving championship. The Yachtsmen produced a strong third-place team finish behind Bangor and Cony.

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3) Plenty of excellence on the track

While no local track teams brought home titles this year, there were some close calls, as Greely’s boys and girls’ squads each came in third in Class B and the Falmouth boys placed fourth in Class A. There were also many individuals who had no peer. Falmouth’s John Auer won the Class A boys’ mile and Greely produced champions Marin Provencer (Class B girls’ mile), Carolyn Todd (Class B girls’ two-mile), Matthew Todd (Class B boys’ 800) and Luke Marsanskis (Class B boys’ two-mile).

2) More skiing dominance

Every winter, Forecaster-area Alpine and Nordic ski teams steal headlines and 2018-19 was no exception. Falmouth’s boys won both the Alpine and Nordic titles in Class A, while Yarmouth’s Nordic girls won Class B yet again. One individual, Freeport’s Lily Horne, also took home hardware, as she captured the Class B Nordic classical race.

1) Greely’s greatness on the ice

Greely’s boys’ hockey team was left in agony a year ago when it lost in overtime of the Class B state final. This winter, nothing was going to stand in the Rangers’ way. After a dominant 16-2 regular season, the Rangers scored 27 goals in three playoff games, handling Gorham, 10-1, in the semifinals, beating Cape Elizabeth, 9-4, in the regional final, then blanking Old Town/Orono, 8-0, in the state game, as Greely earned a big measure of revenge from last year’s ouster in the process. The Rangers’ fourth championship might have been their most impressive of all.

Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.


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